This document discusses the purposes of arguments, which include: to win debates by presenting a position that prevails over others; to convince others to change their minds by providing compelling reasons; and to explore issues by sharing information and perspectives. It notes that arguable statements attempt to convince readers, address problems with no easy solutions, or present positions with varying perspectives. Examples of both arguable and unarguable statements are provided to illustrate this. The document also discusses how to turn a claim into a thesis statement by including one or more reasons to support the claim.

1. Some basics about

2. Purposes of an argument:
• To win
Political debates, trials, and often in business
The writer or speaker tries to present a position that will
prevail over another position
• To convince
Convince another person to change his or her mind
A writer must provide compelling reasons
• To explore an issue
The writer seeks a sharing of information and
perspectives to make informed choices

3.  You must start with an arguable statement:
 1. It attempts to convince readers of something,
change their minds about something, or urge
them to do something
 2. It addresses a problem for which no easily
acceptable solution exists or asks a question to
which no absolute answer exists
 3. It presents on a position that readers might
realistically have varying perspectives on

4. ARGUABLE STATEMENT
Advertising in women’s
magazines contributes to
the poor self-image that
afflicts many young
women.
UNARGUABLE
Women’s magazines earn
millions of dollars every
year from advertising.
(this is just a fact)

5. Using the three characteristics just listed, decide which of the
following statements are arguable and which are not.
1. The Dark Knight was the best movie of the last decade.
2. The climate of the earth is gradually getting warmer.
3. The U.S. must further reduce social spending in order to
balance the budget.
4. Shakespeare died in 1616.
5. President Roosevelt knew the Japanese were planning to
bomb Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
6. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Van Gogh’s paintings are the work of a madman.
8. The incidence of breast cancer has risen in the last ten years.
9. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to
disasters must be radically improved.
10. A fifty-five-mile-per-hour speed limit lowers accident rates.

6. Note: you will only have one claim, but you might have multiple reasons,
and you might have multiple pieces of evidence for each reason

7.  One way to turn a claim into a thesis is to
include one or more reasons for the claim.
 Reason: Pesticides endanger the lives of
farmworkers.
 Working thesis (claim with reason attached):
Because they endanger the lives of
farmworkers, pesticides should be banned.